Nascence
by tigerkity
Summary: Jack spends a Christmas with the children of the orphanage.


Title: Nascence

Author: Tigerkity

Pairings: none

Beta: Livi

Spoilers: Need, Spirits, Children of the Gods, The Movie, Singularity

Summary: Jack spends Christmas with the orphaned children of the center.

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate and I do not make any money off of this :(

He pulled up into the parking lot and stopped his truck, taking a few moments for himself before he entered the mayhem. Outside, it was snowing serenely. The snowfall carefully covered up the poor condition of the neighborhood. This place wasn't in the best part of town; but it didn't matter to him. What did matter was what was inside the building that he was now facing.

Jack took a long time to realize finally that this time of year wasn't meant for sulking. He had done plenty of that. For years after Charlie died. In the dark, he usually sat with a nice bottle of malt on his couch. The neighbor's holiday lights made streaks of light through the slit in his curtains. His heart hadn't been into celebration. He had sat quietly, lonely, sullenly, blaming himself for why one little boy wasn't alive anymore to get just one more Christmas present.

When he was home for Christmas, he used to help Charlie put the star on the top of the tree and they would stand there for minutes admiring it's beauty.

"That star will always bring me home to you, sport," Jack told him. But Jack hadn't been home for many of those special times; making the ones when he had very special. Sitting in solitude, he reminisced about how he would always cherish the sight of his boy's glee at the sight of his first bike. That Jack remembered working on until two in the morning to assemble it. Another time, they both spent the day putting together that awesome train set. They made it weave through the entire house, really annoying Sara.

Jack sat in the gloom drinking and berating himself for losing the good times and everything that mattered. Worse, blamed himself for all the times he had missed Christmas, especially when he lost four months in an Iraqi prison. He had lost track of time in there, and when he came out, had completely forgotten to get Charlie or Sara anything. When he came home two months later, Charlie told him,

"It's okay Daddy, all I wanted for Christmas was you. Santa must have just been a little busy this year, but he still brought you," then he had whispered in his father's ear, "The star helped him."

Jack had been so proud of Charlie, the thought of him needing his father to teach him all the tricks of hockey had been the driving force for him to make it through the rehab.

When Charlie died, so did Jack, or so he thought at the time. For a couple years afterward, there was no Christmas spirit, just Christmas melancholy. To him, it was the worst time of year, he couldn't stand to go out of his house, for when he went to the grocery store, the sight of parents shopping for their kids was more than he could take. The love plain on their faces broke his heart, for he would never be able to shop for his kid again. Charlie was gone and so was his happiness.

He had realized, now of course looking back, that those years had been real bad. Sitting around, getting drunk was not the way to honor Charlie. One year he had been contacted by Margie, an old, close friend of Sara's. She had been volunteering at a local children's orphanage and had just recently taken over. The original director passed away suddenly of a heart attack, and she was the only other person qualified to take charge. The center was low on staff and she was swiftly overwhelmed with so much to do. She had remembered Jack as being a good fix-it guy from when he and Sara were still married, so she had given him a call and asked him if he could help them by taking a look at some faulty circuit breakers since they couldn't afford an electrician.

He had gone out, glad for something to do to get his mind off the holiday, without knowing that it was a children's center. When he arrived, he couldn't avoid falling for their touching faces. It had been Christmas and there were a few measly decorations of overstretched tinsel and a few paper chains. That was the beginning of the end, no longer, since that day, had he found his comfort at the bottom of a bottle. Though he would never forgive himself or exonerate himself for Charlie, he vowed to make these kids happy, to make a difference and to honor his son's life.

He had quickly fixed the breakers and spoke to Margie about getting the building properly decked out. He had run to the store and bought the biggest tree they had left and also got one of every kind of holiday ornament they had. He went all out and spent the rest of the night with the kids turning the bland building into something worth smiling about.

He just about broke his wallet making sure that each kid got one thing that they really wanted.

Ever since then, he had been a regular there, showing up whenever he could throughout the year. He had grown attached to the kids, getting very official invitations to many events that the kids had.

These kids had no families and looked up to him and Margie for guidance. Since finding the center, he had suddenly found his mailbox full of handmade cards on Father's Day. He kept every single card, drawing, painting, or bauble they made him in a box that he hid in his attic.

He found himself looking out for them all the time, doing things with them that he was denied with Charlie. He took them on outings to the mall or the zoo. He even took them on a two-day camping trip in Pike National Forest. It had been a lot of fun until he broke his arm and twisted his ankle. That trip was one for the books, but on the bright side, they all came out alive and it taught the kids a lot about survival in the wilderness with an accident prone Air Force Colonel.

It was at that moment that he saw one of the blinds on the window move, bringing Jack out of his musings. Two identical pairs of eyes were peaking out, searching for whomever it was that they heard pull up. When they saw Jack's truck, the blinds shut once more and he could practically see them through the wall as they bolted for the door.

Jack shut off the car and climbed out; it was time to go inside again and see the kids. He shut the door and moved to the bed of the truck which was full of bags, when he saw the front door of the center open and admit the twins, two tall dark haired boys with hazel eyes. They were mischievous, always causing grief for Margie, but Jack loved them. They ran outside, forgetting to close the door, and he could hear Margie calling from inside for them to come put coats on before they froze to death.

Jack smiled at their antics and patiently waited for the boys to show up.

"JACK!" They cried excitedly, "You're here!" They rounded the truck and eagerly threw themselves on him, hugging him to the point where he thought that he would never again regain circulation in his lower body. He enthusiastically returned the hug, though, squeezing gently.

Once they let go, he crouched down so he was eye to eye with them,

"Bobby, Tony, go back inside and get some coats on, Miss Margie's right and it is cold outside. Also, tell Jake to come out here and help me too. Go on, scram," he said as he straightened up, swatting the ten year olds on the backside of their heads, "And don't forget to close the door after yourselves!" He called after them as the two bundles of energy ran back inside to the warmth.

Jack started to unload the back of the truck when he saw the door open once more and Jake, his arms full of squirming bundle, walked out. Jake was sixteen, old enough to leave the children's orphanage, but he had stayed there. He had a job at a mechanic shop and was a senior at the local public high school and helped Margie run the place and keep the kids in line. He was a responsible young adult with short, spiky, light brown hair and brown eyes. He too was tall, just a tall as Jack, who he constantly teased was shrinking in his old age. He, like Jack, had grown accustomed to the children at the center and was loath to leave them. Being the eldest, he constantly helped events they had put on; like when Trish, Becky, Anna, Carrie, Alex, and Jenna had decided to put on a dance recital for the other kids. He had been begged to go by all the girls performing.

The boys didn't want the girls to outshine them, so a week later, they wanted Jack to help coach them for a hockey game. The events had made him feel a little wistful for the moments that were stolen from him, but they had also made him feel…well, proud. He now considered these boys and girls his children, and they filled him up inside.

As Jake approached, he set down the bundle, which immediately began running at a high speed towards Jack. It didn't slow down soon enough and once it put the brakes on, it skidded on the ice. Jack caught it just in time to prevent it from falling on the ice. He swung it in the air, tossed it and caught before holding it against his chest. With his free hand, he pulled back the layers of clothing to reveal the bundle's face.

"And just who do we have here?" He asked in a singsong voice. The bundle giggled.

"'S me Cacker Jack!" Came the somewhat muffled reply.

"Why, is that little Abby under all that?"

"'S me! 'S me!" She squealed.

"Are you sure? I can't see you!"

"I sure! I sure!" She was barely four years old, the youngest child currently at the center. Despite her age, though, she was one of the smartest kids Jack had ever seen. She had nicknamed him Cracker Jack because of his rank, Colonel. She had thought of a kernel of corn, and her mind, being young as it was, jumped to one of her newest discoveries. Since Cracker Jacks were popped corn…. the connection was so obvious to her, and she had begun to call him that. The name was something only she called him, and he thought it was kinda funny.

"Cacker Jack, can I help?" she asked sweetly as she moved her head to the bags in the truck.

"Sure sweetie," he said as he put her down and reached into one of the bags, handing her a large teddy bear, "No you take that to Miss Margie and thank her for me and you wish her a Merry Christmas and help her with whatever she needs. Can you do that for me?"

"Sure thing Cacker Jack," and off she went trotting back inside, the bear just as tall as she was.

Jake pushed off the truck where he was leaning, watching her as she went. He went over to where Jack was standing and began to help him unload the bundles of toys from the truck.

"Hey Jack," he greeted as the two men shook hands and hugged.

"How ya doin' Jake?"

"Good, busy. Becky's been acting up lately, I think it's some guy at school who's bothering her."

"Yeah? I should talk to her. Do you know what it's about?" Jack asked as they made their way across the short distance form the parking lot to the door.

"Naw, she's just upset is all."

"Okay. How's work going?"

"Great! This guy brought in a classic baby blue '67 Chevy, and awww man is it sweet, I think it would look better red but…" Jake trailed off when he saw every head look their way when they entered the room. He just had enough time to grab the bags Jack was holding and move out of the way when the man was swarmed by children. He greeted each just as enthusiastically as they did him. It had been about a month since his last visit, a long time because it had been hectic on base at the SGC.

There was a great calamity as each child vied for Jack's attention. Trish was showing off her now bracket-free pearly whites while Zach wanted him to see this cool new scar that he got from falling out of a tree he was climbing. He let them chatter for a few moments before he decided to calm them down.

"Whoa whoa whoa, campers, settle down," and the kids quieted obediently, "I spoke to Santa," at this a wild cheer went up, mainly coming from the twins, "and the nice man is going to let me deliver your presents for him," another cheer, everyone joining in, even though Jake, Jenna, Anna, and Kenny were too old to believe in Santa Clause, they did enjoy getting presents, "BUT," he said loud enough to speak over the excited murmurs, "you still have to go to bed before Santa comes and you have to open them on Christmas morning, just like everyone else." There were some groans of disappointment, but for some of the children who remembered what it was like when they didn't get any presents at all, it was still a good thing.

"Now, go back to playing your game, while I see how dinner's going," he said, spying a large Twister mat in the middle of the floor. He stood up and walked to an open doorway where he saw Margie watching the kids. She gave Jack a big hug and thanked him once more for being such a help,

"Merry Christmas Jack,"

"Merry Christmas Miss Margie,"

"How's work at the base?" she asked, knowing that work had to be hectic for him not to visit for such a long time.

"Hectic, had some new trainees who completely messed up one of our monitor stations," he lied easily. Margie just rolled her eyes and snorted. Her brother worked as a civilian consultant for NORAD and she heard all the weird stories that came out of that mountain. There was no way that, where Jack was stationed at the lower levels of the Cheyenne Mountain Complex, was he working on Deep Space Radar Telemetry. She also knew that, from when he was married to Sara, he was away a lot on missions overseas. There was no way someone would go from that to a desk job.

"How's Angelo doing in the kitchen?" he asked about the center's honorary cook, changing the subject quickly.

"Good, the turkey's almost done. He's made a traditional feast," she gushed, "Mashed potatoes with carrots, green beans with almonds, and for desert-"

"Cake!" he said eagerly. Margie just nodded, his penchant for cake well known. She laughed when he pumped his fist in the air triumphantly. He poked his head through the doorway into the kitchen and cried loudly,

"I _LOVE_ YOU, ANGELO!"

A good-natured chuckle answered him back.

"Listen Jack, I'm worried about Becky, she won't talk to me…"

"Yeah I heard. Jake told me, I'll go talk to her." Jack walked away from the doorway and clapped his hands once,

"Hey campers, I need some volunteers," all the kids eagerly put their hands up, waving wildly, thinking that anything with Jack would be fun. Jack pointed to the twins, Bobby and Tony, and to Alex, a ten-year-old girl with long brown hair, and Anna, a thirteen-year-old redhead and asked them to get the table set for dinner, which was almost ready. The rest he told to go wash up and quietly added to get ready for the surprise that they had been working on for Margie and Angelo for their Christmas present.

"Becky," he singled out while waving to her, "come here a sec,"

The girl shyly ambled over to the colonel. Becky was eleven years old and had beautiful wavy, long brown hair; she also had braces and like any other kid, was afraid to smile.

"Yeah Colonel Jack?"

"Mind if we go outside for a little bit, I need your help," At her nod, he grabbed her coat off the hook by the door, held it so she could fit into it, and led her outside. He sat down on the step and motioned for her to sit down next to him.

"What's the matter Colonel Jack?"

He bowed his head and thought of how to proceed.

"You see Becky, I…never mind. It's nothing…"

"No, tell me. It's alright,"

"You promise you won't tell anyone?" He asked.

"I promise, it'll be between you and me, our secret. What's wrong?"

"Ya see Becks, at work," he broke off, "at work I hear some of the younger airmen say stuff about me…

"What do they say?"

"They tease me, make fun of me…It's my hair, they say that I'm old, that because of the gray I'm too old to be in the Air Force.

"What! You're the best person in the Air Force ever! Besides, I like the hair, it's cute,"

"Cute?" this was news.

"Yeah, my mom used to tell me that gray made a man extinguished, or something like that." Jack had to work hard not to chuckle at her word mix-up. He looked at her with pleading eyes.

"But how do I deal with them? I see them every day…"

"Tell the teacher, I mean General or...or…or tell them that they're just jealous. They aren't extinguished, and they aren't the best colonel in the Air Force ever!"

"Yeah? Is that what I should do? You don't understand, it's different," it was now or never.

"Jack, I do understand…I…at," Becky sighed, then looked up at Jack with a resolute expression on her face, "Burt Thompson at school makes fun of me too. He calls me names because of my braces and he makes fun of where I live. He says that because I don't have any parents that I'm not as good as he is." At that, she started to sniffle. At her tears, Jack gathered her up in his arms and put her in his lap.

"Becks, listen to me. Everyone has parents, and just because yours aren't here with you anymore doesn't mean that you're any less of a person. Tell me this, does he make as good of grades as you do?"

Becky's hazel eyes flitted to the ground, and she nodded her head left to right,

"No, I don't think so…"

"Is he pretty?"

She shook head vehemently this time,

"Na uh… not one bit, he's got a crooked nose and a squashed face." She scrunched her nose and eyes together to show Jack just what he looked like.

"So, you're way prettier than him," he said as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Like those younger airmen at the base, he's just jealous. Smile for me," she looked up at him with bashful eyes, "come on, show me," he prodded.

She stretched her lips back in more of a grimace, "_Becky,_" he said, tucking more hair behind her ears while he placed his hands on her cheeks and gently shook her head.

"That's not a smile…" when he let go, she was smiling, her eyes twinkling, "there we go. See, you're beautiful, braces or no braces, no matter who tells you otherwise," he chided, "I want to hear you say it, 'I'm beautiful'."

"You're beautiful Colonel Jack." Jack laughed and tutted her.

"Say that you're beautiful,"

"I did, you're beautiful."

"_Becky_,"

"I'm beautiful," she finally said timidly.

"And smart," he added.

"And smart."

"And just as good as anyone else, no matter what people say,"

"And just as good as anyone else, no matter what people say." She copied.

"Now say it all together."

"I'm beautiful and smart and just as good as anyone else no matter what others say." She looked intently at Jack as if his approval made it true.

"I can't hear you! Scream it as loud as you can!"

"I'M BEAUTIFUL AND SMART AND JUST AS GOOD AS ANYONE NO MATTER WHAT OTHERS SAY!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Jack's ears were ringing, but there was a smile on his face because there was one on Becky's.

"Thank you Becks, you really made me feel a whole lot better," Jack said while he placed her back on the step as he stood up, his knees creaking.

"No, thank _you_ Colonel Jack," she stated as she gave him an emphatic hug, " I love you Jack."

Overcome with emotion, he responded, his voice thick,

"I love you too Becks," after a few moments, "Now go on and get back inside, we's gots stuffs to do's and foods to eats," he said in a funny voice.

He watched as she went inside and joined Carrie, 12, and Anna, 13, at the table.

he walked back into the kitchenMargie fussing over Angelo he tried to shoo her away while he finished up carving the turkey.

"Miss Margie, please, go. I've got everything here under control."

"Ang, are you sure? I could…"

"Margie," Jack interrupted, "Go sit down at the table. Talk with the kids. Leave Angelo be." He put his hands on her shoulders and playfully shoved her out of the kitchen. As she sat down at the table, she noticed the smile on Becky's face as she talked to the other girls. _Whatever Jack did_, she thought, _he did it well._ She resolved to grill him later to find out what was wrong and how to fix it for future.

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Jack patiently waited for Angelo to finish carving the turkey so he could serve it on the table. Several beeps came from the other side of the small kitchen, alerting Jack that whatever was in the oven was done.

"I'll get it Angelo,"

"Thanks Jack, you can just put them on the table along with the other sides. I'll take the turkey."

Jack opened several drawers before he found the oven mitts. Usually, he didn't go in the kitchen, since it was Angelo's turf, so he wasn't well acquainted with where things were. He opened the oven and pulled out several racks of golden yeast rolls, the superb smell quickly spreading around the kitchen. He couldn't help but sniff appreciatively as his stomach grumbled. He put the rolls in several baskets and . Once his job was done, he took his seat by Rick, a short eight year old with blonde hair, and Jenna, a beautiful teenager of fourteen years who almost always wore her brunette hair in a ponytail or braid.

Everything looked great and all the kids were hungry, but none of them touched a single morsel, not even Bobby or Tony. They all waited until Angelo showed up with the turkey and sat down.

All the children paused their excited chatter. Margie spoke up,

"It's Christmas Eve. A time where people come together in good cheer and celebrate. Christmas is when families reunite. Well, we are all one big family here. we love each other very much.

Many of the kids bowed their heads for a moment as they silently remembered their families. Jack . He thought of Charlie, of how much he loved to play in the snow on Christmas day, of how his face lit up when he got the baseball glove that he had been wanting for forever.

It had taken a while, but he was finally able to recall the good memories of his dead son without trudging up the bad. His heart still panged with loss, but it no longer pounded with white-hot agony.

Jack broke the silence, let any of the kids drown in the memories. They were supposed to be happy, not melancholy.

"Okay, let's eat!"

A clamor broke out as everybody suddenly asked to be passed some food. After a few seconds of chaos, a system developed. Everyone passed their plates to the right, towards the head of the table, where Angelo would give them a helping of turkey. The plate would then down the other side where Jake gave everyone a scoop or two of potatoes, Tony gave carrots, and Alex gave green beans. Everyone just grabbed a roll from the nearest basket.

there was always room for dessert. By 5:30 adu .

The kids hurried over to the Christmas tree. The larger kids: Jake, Jenna, and Anna had dragged over a couch and a couple chairs for the adults while the children just sprawled on the floor. Jack took the corner seat of the couch, sighing contentedly, his belly being full. He closed his eyes, waiting for the come. Before long, he felt a slight dip in the couch that got nearer and nearer. He peeled open one eyelid and saw little Abby sneaking up to him.

Once she realized that he was actually awake, she sat back on her haunches and gave him a puppy dog look, complete with quivering lower lip. He smiled and gestured for her to climb in his lap, knowing that that was exactly what she was asking for. She giggled and patted his head like a dog,

"Good Cacker Jack," she laughed with delight. Jack just shook his head and ruffled her curly locks.

Trish looked around, clearly searching for someone, and then motioned over to Rick by nodding her head. They both then quickly ran to Jack,

"Jack, is now a good time?"

"Can we go get Miss Margie and Mister Angelo's presents yet?" they both asked within a split second of each other.

Jack also looked around to make sure that they were on their way over and weren't busy.

"Yeah, you can. Go quickly now," he said while bounce Little Abby on his knee. Pretty soon all three adults and eleven children were gathered around the Christmas tree. Jack kept a close eye on Bobby and Tony who kept trying to get sneak peaks at their presents, which were now piled under the tree. When Trish and Rick came back, Rick went to go talk to Jake before he went back to get Trish who had remain hidden out of sight.

Jake stood up, and whispered to all the other kids what was going on. Now with all of them standing, Trish and Rick sprinted behind them, to hide the present, even though it was wrapped. The thirteen kids all made a line in front of Margie and Angelo who were seated in the chairs to the right of the couch.

"Miss Margie, Mister Angelo, we really appreciate all that you've done for us over the years that we've been here," Jake started.

"You've both been really nice to us," Jenna stated, smiling.

"We wanted to do something nice for you," said Carrie.

"So, we give you this present," the twins chorused.

"From the bottom of our hearts," Zach said while he hopped from foot to foot.

"We really hope you like it," added Rick

"And will cherish it for years to come." Finished Becky.

"Merry Christmas," they all said together as Trish handed an elegantly wrapped present to Margie.

The two adults were moved by the genuineness of their love and they both unwrapped it together. Underneath the sparkly Santa Claus and Reindeer paper was a beautiful photo album with a group picture of all the children together on the cover. When they opened it up, they saw that each child had their own page that had been decorated and designed by them with a large photo of the kid at the top. Even Abby, who had just joined the center a couple months ago, had her own page. The beauty of it brought tears to Margie's eyes as she kept flipping the pages.

There were pictures from throughout the year in it, some with funny little bubble captions, and some with handwritten notes or explanations. There were some from their trip to the zoo, some of Jack and Margie, and there were quite a few of the camping trip. There was a picture of Jack teaching the kids how to start a fire, one of the kids pitching their tents, one of the entire group in front of a stunning landscape of mountains, other random pictures, and there was even one of Jack just after he had been released from the hospital, his face all bruised, his arm in a cast, and his leg in a boot, but he was smiling none the less. There were other photographs from birthday parties, other holidays, and quite a few of everyday life.

All in all, it was a very beautiful album, full of good and funny memories. Margie and Angelo got up and hugged each and every one of the kids, smiles beaming left and right, thanking them over and over. They loved their present. assuring thethat they really would cherish it forever.

After the excitement died down a little, Jenna brought out a game that everyone could play for an hour or so. She said that the game was her favorite and she used to play it with her family on special nights. The game was called Taboo. Once she explained the rules, you had to get the people on your team to say the word on the card without saying other relevant terms that were also printed on the card. The room quickly divided into teams: girls versus boys. Abby was too young to play, but Jack asked her if she would help him. So she climbed up into his lap and promptly made herself comfortable.

Jenna went first to teach everyone how to play,

"Okay, he was a singer in the forties, very popular…um…oh! Old blue eyes!"

"Frank Sinatra," Margie called out while Abby quietly asked,

"Who's that?"

The game was a barrel of laughs, especially when someone called out a weird guess that had nothing to do with the clues being given. There were a lot of words that some of the younger kids needed help with, but their neighbor was always willing to lend a hand. And the adults had to be careful in their clues to make sure that the younger ones could get them.

Such was the case when it was Jack's last turn; the word he got was 'Sponge Bob Square Pants'. He had no clue what that was and was stuck on it his whole turn. When he told everyone what it was, they all gawked at him in disbelief.

"Cacker Jack, not Sponge Bob?"

"Jack, he's, like, the funniest cartoon ever!"

"Everyone knows who Sponge Bob is!"

Jack just shrugged and started mentioning old shows that he used to watch when he was there age, like Gilligan's Island (which everyone knew) and Leave it to Beaver (which they didn't) and he explained all about when the Flintstones came out in color. The game now forgotten, everyone launched into stories from their favorite shows with Angelo reminiscing about Bonanza, the old cowboy western.

In a lull in the conversation, Alex, with some glitter from the Christmas tree in her hair, asked from across the room,

"Colonel Jack, tell us a story please," All the other kids each nodded their agreement to her request. He looked over to Margie as if to ask for permission and she also nodded, wanting to hear one herself.

He had told the kids so many wondrous stories of far away places, lonely princesses, valiant struggl. The stories enthralled the children..

Jack leaned back and sighed, . All the kids scooted closer,

"A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, it is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire-"

"Colonel Jack! That's Star Wars!" Kenny whined.

"Right! Well, lets see…" _guess they saw that one_, "how about this… In a far off island that no one has ever heard of, there lived a group of people called the Sealish…" And he proceeded to tell the children about a brave man named Tuna and his animal friends: Tacky, the wolf; and Sale, the bird, and how they met and became close friends with another group of people: Flyboyans. The story was full of adventure and action to keep the kids enthralled.

He spoke of the friendship that developed between the two peoples when they had overcome their differences.

By the time his story was finished, it was :30, and the younger kids like Zach, Trish, and Rick were starting to yawn. AbbyDuring the story, Angelo had handed out warm mugs of hot chocolate to all the kids and coffee to Margie and Jack.

Jack took the first appreciative sip of his when his cell phone rang. He stood up and laid Abby in his now vacated seat, careful He walked away from the kids toward the door of the center, hoping against hope that it was the SGC calling about a Goa'uld attack or something dire.

"O'Neill" he id into the phone in his command voice.

"Sir this is Staff Sergeant Daly with NORAD tracks Santa. We were told to contact you when Santa entered Colorado air space. He's here sir," he said. Jack could practically here the smile in the sergeant's voice. Jack grinned as well, glad that it was some happy news.

"Thanks Sergeant,"

"Merry Christmas sir."

"Merry Christmas to you too."

Jack hung up the phone and walked back to where everyone was waiting, with worried looks on their faces. When they saw his smile, they all relaxed as well.

"Good news kids! Sergeant Daly from NORAD just informed that they have Santa on the RADAR. He'll be here soon!" he kids Even though Jack had already brought their presents, Santa was still really cool. He always visited every house no matter if they already had presents under the tree because he had to get his fill of milk and cookies.

"You know what that means kids…" Margie said in a leading tone.

"You have to go get ready for bed…" Jack stated.

"Aw Jack," whined a few of the kids. "Can't we stay up later tonight, puh-leeze?"

"Santa only comes when all the children are asleep," Margie said sternly.

There was a mad scramble as everyone went upstairs to go change into pajamas and brush their teeth. Soon the three adults were the only ones left downstairs.

"If only it was that easy every other night of the year," Margie joked, and they all laughed.

"Thanks for the story Jack," Angelo said, "It was nice and something that the kids needed. Where'd you come up with it?"

Jack just shrugged,

"I dunno, it kinda just… hit me, I guess." _Ironic, so did that trinium arrow. I still have that scar._

Jack and Margie waited until the others had the kids in bed. Then she suggested that they tuck the younger kids in now. They headed upstairs where they divided up the rooms between them.

Because of limited space, the only kid who had a room to himself was Jake. He was old enough and constantly went out because he sometimes had to work at night; everyone else was paired up according to age. The layout of the upper level had the stairs at one end of the hall and bedrooms lined the hall on both sides. The boys had the left side of the hall and the girls had the right. At the far end of the hall was a slightly bigger room where Margie slept, and the hall turned to make an 'L' shape that led to a large community bathroom.

Jake's room was the one closest to the stairs on the boys' side. Next to him was the twins' room, which they shared with Kenny. The next one contained Zach and Rick. On the girl's side, Jenna, now partnered with little Abby, was across from the twins. Anna and Carrie shared the next room, and Becky and Trish had the one after that.

With Jake and Jenna's help, Margie and Jack eventually got all the kids settled down tucked in bed. After all the excitement of the day, most were ready for bed. It helped that the younger ones still believed in Santa. Even though they were too excited to sleep, most fell asleep quickly enough.

"Think it's a little too quiet up there?" Jack asked Margie.

"I was expecting to have to go up half a dozen times," She glanced up nervously. "I hope the twins aren't up to something. I wouldn't put it past them."

"Why don't you go check to make sure though. Knowing them, they could be sticking Kenny's fingers in hot water."

Margie shuddered in horror and quickly agreed to Jack's suggestion. Returning a few moments later, she shook her head. "Fast asleep."

Jack grinned.

Jenna stayed with the adults downstairs long enough to refill her mug of hot cocoa, before she stated that she had a date with a good book and she was going to try and read at least fifty pages that night. She hugged Jack goodnight and wished him and everyone else a Merry Christmas as she disappeared on the stairs, heading to her room.

Angelo also didn't stay long. He had been cooking all day, for today's dinner as well as tomorrows, and he also had to get up early tomorrow to make sure he had breakfast ready for when all the kids stormed the tree. Angelo's room was on the ground floor, the door of which was at the end of a short hall that bent off from the main room.

Now it was only Jack, Jake, and Margie left at the table. They spoke quietly about a whole myriad of things from Jake's many odd jobs, Margie's latest outing at the shopping mall in which she had to battle of young mother of two in order to get the last turkey, and Jack just listened to all their stories attentively, throwing in an odd comment or quip when appropriate.

An hour rolled by of their convivial chat before Margie let out a long yawn. Emptying her glass of eggnog, she gave both men a peck on the cheek, wished them good dreams, and also headed to bed.

"Night Margie,"

"Good night Miss Margie,"

"Night Boys, sweet dreams, and I'll see you in the morning."

With that, it was just the two of them left.

Jake picked up his empty mug and began turning it nervously in his hands. It was a nervous habit of his: he had to do something with his hands. Jack picked up on this, and sat back, knowing that the teen would eventually gather his thoughts enough to be able to speak about them. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long.

"Jack…" he said as watched the mug intently/

"Yeah?"

"I, um, I…" he set the mug down and looked Jack directly in the eye, "I want to join the Air Force."

There, he said it. He had been giving it a lot of thought lately. Jack had taken him up in a plane once, a little while ago now, and he had never felt a feeling quite like it. He felt free up there. Free of the emotional hardships that he had had to endure at such a young age, free of financial burdens, free of constrictions. Ever since, he had developed a fascination for planes and flying. He had tried to hide it from Jack, afraid that he wouldn't approve of him going into the military, but he was a senior. He had thought long and hard about it, but he had decided that next year, he wanted to go to the Air Force Academy, and he told Jack so before he could get over the shock from the bomb shell that he had just dropped.

"I want to go to the Air Force Academy next year. My grades are good enough, and I'm sure that I could get in. I've done my research, I've spoken to the recruiters and admissions officers…"

Jack was stunned, to say the least. He had not been expecting this. He didn't know how to react at first. The military didn't send people to Disneyland, they were sent to war, and war was not pretty. He knew that first hand. He also didn't want to risk Jake getting hurt. If something happened to him… Jack didn't even want to think about that.

_But_, another part of him protested, _he would make a fine officer. He's exactly the kind of person we're looking for. _

Jake seemed to be anxiously waiting his reaction, waiting to see what he would do: Let him make the next move so he could judge how to proceed and fight his case. See, the makings of a good officer.

Jack shifted in his seat, leaning forward slightly,

"The Air Force? Are you sure it's something you want to do?"

Jake blinked, that was obviously not the reaction he was expecting. He was expecting Jack to blow up at him or slap him on the back, either one.

He just nodded.

"This is something that you want, you're not doing because you think it's something that would make me happy? Cause ya know, I would be very happy if you became a stock broker or lawyer or something."

"Jack, do you remember that day that you took me up there," he said with a glance toward the ceiling, "Right now, I can't imagine doing anything other than that. It just felt so…. me." He stated emphatically while gesticulating with his hands.

There was a moment where they both sized each other up, trying to judge how far the argument would go.

"Air Force Academy?"

"Yes sir,"

"Next year?"

"Yup."

Jack sighed.

He was terrified of what might be, but realized that it wasn't his choice to make. Jake had proven himself to be his own man already; it was his turn to decide his own future. He deserved it, and it that was what he wanted…it seemed as if Jack was going to have to start to take up that guest lecture position that Kerrigan was always offering him.

He looked at the blossoming man before him, and knew that all he could do was give his blessing,

"Okay," he said simply while nodding his head.

"Okay?" Jake asked with a sigh of relief.

"Yep, if you're ready for the commitment."

"I am."

"Then okay," he repeated.

"It's not like it's far away. I'll be able to visit on holidays and leave days."

"Have you told Margie?"

Jake shifted in his seat somewhat nervously while he brought his hands to his lap.

"Not yet. I wasn't planning on doing it until after the holidays. She'll be upset…I think."

"I think she'd handle it better than you think." The teenager looked up with a questioning look, "Most of this town's Flyboys. Besides, we have high hopes for you. You'll do well, be a fine officer."

At the approval, Jake couldn't help but release a smile. Jack was like a surrogate father to him and if he believed in him so much…that was high praise indeed.

"Besides, I have some pull at the academy. After all, 'Colonel' has to be good for something."

They both stood up, and Jack announced that he'd better go if he wanted to come back in the morning to visit with the kids again. Jake hung back a bit as the older man donned his coat and pulled on some gloves, but before he could open the door, he walked up and gave him a big hug.

"Thanks Jack, for…being here," he mumbled into the shoulder of Jack's coat.

"No problem," he responded as he gently patted the man's cheek. _It's an honor to watch you develop into such a fine young man._ But there was no way that he could say that aloud. He wasn't a 'feelings' kind of guy. Not wanting to get all sappy, Jack's tone turned lighter as he turned for the door.

"Now, I gotta hit the road if I want to be back in time for Angelo's wonderful pancakes," but on opening the door, he was blasted with a strong gust that blew snow into his face so heavily that he could barely see. He could just see truck. It was blanketed under several inches of snow, and there was so much of it on the road behind the truck that he doubted he would be able to get out. While they had been having fun during the night, apparently Old Man Winter had decided to unleash his fury without them knowing, "or not," Jack concluded as he and Jake struggled to close the door,

"Guess I'm spending the night."

He reasoned that it was just too dangerous to head out in these conditions. Plus, there were much worse places to be stranded in during a snowstorm.

Looking on the bright side, Jake commented,

"The kids will have a ton of fun with this in the morning," thinking of all the snow angels and snowmen that would occupy the front parking lot when they got a glimpse of the white wonderland that was outside. "I'll go get you some blankets for the couch. Unfortunately, we don't have a spare room unless you want to share with me or Angelo," he tossed over his shoulder as he rifled through a cabinet on one of the walls.

"Naw, the couch is fine," Jack said as he once again hung up his coat and walked over to the couch that was nest to the Christmas tree. They draped a blanket over the cushions and tucked it in on all sides so it wouldn't come undone during the night. Jake had also brought over a large, worn comforter and draped it over one end of the couch.

While Jack got settled, Jake wished him goodnight and headed upstairs.

Now that he was alone, he could feel the fatigue settle into his bones. It had been a long day, fun, but long. He relaxed into the couch, the cushions slowly molding to his body, and he let sleep claim him.

He slept unusually well considering he was on a couch. He luckily had no dreams and no nightmares either, and when he awoke he felt well rested. He immediately knew what woke him up as it was staring him in the face. Six boys and seven girls were crowded around his resting place with eager faces. Even Little Abby was there, snug in Jenna's arms.

"Well hello, campers," Jack greeted with a tired, sloppy grin on his face. He could see the excitement on their faces. Heck, the twins were practically jumping up and down, ready to sprint under the tree to find out what Santa got them. In fact, Jack was surprised that they hadn't attacked and ripped apart the common room yet. "What are ya waiting for?"

"Can we open our presents yet?" Trish asked as realization dawned. They had thought that he was down there to guard the presents. Jack scoffed; no way was he going to stand between kids and their fun and happiness.

He made a shooing gesture with his hands while bobbing his head,

"Go, go, you don't have to ask. It's your time…have fun," and the starting gates opened, some of the boys took off before he was even finished, which was fine by him. Jenna put the now squirming Abby down as she stayed behind with Jake to get their gifts after the mad scramble had died down a bit. They couldn't wait to open their presents, but they were some of the children who had been with the orphanage for the longest time and remembered what it was like to get nothing; a few more seconds was hardly worth the fuss to them. Instead, they sat back with Jack and watched with amusement as wrapping paper, string, bows, little curly things, and plastic wrap flew everywhere. Only when some of the kids moved away from the tree to play with their new toys, did the two oldest go and search for theirs.

Abby was delighted with a new cabbage patch doll that had a little pink dress with a matching pink bonnet, while the twins, Bobby and Tony were busy sharing their gifts and fighting each other with a whole company of toy soldiers while sending orders into new walkie talkies. Jack knew that that particular gift was going to increase their mischief, but he knew that they would have a ton of fun together because of it and they would bond in their mischief. Jack remembered that that was how he and his brother had bonded: pranks.

Alex had already taken off and sat in a corner while she drew the happy scene in front of her with her new drawing pad and Prisma Color Pencils, next to her were several informative books about the different techniques of art and drawing.

Kenny was hopping up and down, holding his new chess set close to his chest as if by loosening his grip, the gift would disappear. Anna was sifting through the several 5,000 piece puzzles for the right one to start first. Once she finished with one, she could keep it forever by using her brand new puzzle glue and frame so she could hang it on the wall and boast about how long it took her to finish that one. Next to her, Carrie was engrossed in a book of 'How to Magic' while practicing with the magic kit that she just unwrapped. She already was working on a vanishing card trick, and making progress.

Zach was zipping about the room, talking while pinching his noise and playing with a Major Matt Mason doll, complete with flying jet pack; Jack had to thank Ferretti for that one. It had actually taken him a long time to track the toy down, it was a classic, and when he had bought it, he also got him some of the comics that went with it. Zach zoomed right past Rick who was absorbed in building his own rubber band car. He had a whole set: plane, car, and train.

Meanwhile, Becky was busy making herself a new necklace with a jewelry making kit that had hundreds of beads, wires, and string. Trish had already started scribbling away on her stuffed dolphin toy. It was a special stuffed animal that came with special markers. They would only write on the toy, and when you rinsed it in cold water, the marks came off so she could redo the dolphin's paintjob whenever she wanted; now it was a bright pink with hints of purple and blue.

Suddenly, a shriek came from the direction of the tree, and before Jack knew what was happening, a large mass collided with him, knocking the wind out of his lungs at the impact. "Thank you" s were being muttered in a high, excited voice that was way to close to his ear. Jenna had gotten her gift it seemed. Jenna was still fourteen, but her fifteenth birthday was in two weeks; many people in her grade in school were a little older than her and had already gotten their driver's permits, but not Jenna as she was not old enough yet, nor did she have the money. Jack had simply wrapped a box that held the paperwork for the class and a small note that said that she could go when she fit the qualifications (age) and if she promised to be responsible and do the work and actually set up the arrangements on her own. Jenna was a very mature and responsible young woman, Jack knew that, but he had to say for posterity's sake. Once she finished hugging Jack, the outbreak having caused a moment of silence throughout the room, quite a feat, she went to show her present to Jake who was suitably impressed, of course already have his license, but happy for the girl just the same. He had yet to open his gift and took it to a chair where he sat down, curiously shifting the package and weighing it as if he could venture a guess as to what was inside…but he had no clue. It was heavy, and when he shook it he noticed how Jack winced and immediately stopped the action. It was either very fragile…or alive.

"For cryin' out loud Jake! Just open it," Jack whined and he proceeded to do as he was told, carefully unwrapping the garishly bright red and green paper. He tried to cover his disappointment when he saw the box that he uncovered had a large picture of a Spiderman themed stationary kit and writing utensils. He plastered a very fake smile on his face as he looked over to where Jack was also grinning, very pleased with himself, and thanked him,

"Gee, Thanks Jack…it's…um, it's really great," he said trying to sound sincere, but silently weeping inside that Jack had been so off. Normally Jack was one of the coolest people he knew, besides, everyone else had gotten what they wanted, so he should be happy…right? But he didn't, he felt kind of jealous even though deep down he knew he shouldn't be. He really didn't want to hurt Jack's feelings since he looked like the cat that ate the canary. 'Buck up Hudson,' he said to himself, 'remember those drama classes you took last semester. This is the most important performance you'll ever do.'

"Hey, I won't have to buy paper or supplies for next year," he grinned.

"Open it up. Take a look inside," Jack urged.

He really didn't want to, but he would for Jack. Slowly, he opened the box, the fake smile still plastered on his face. He felt as if his cheeks would crack and break off, but became quite confused when he felt what was inside the box. It definitely wasn't stationary.

When he saw what was in his hands after he pulled it out, he froze, utterly surprised and overcome. He couldn't say a word, exactly the opposite of Jenna, and if possible, Jack's smile grew even larger at his reaction. In his hands was an old fashioned Nikon FM-10 camera.

"It's an SLR film camera with five interchangeable lenses for different shots," He hadn't even heard Jack walk up to him, "shutter speed is 1 to 1/2000th of a second and you can mess around with a really cool thing called multiple exposure. I got you one lens, Santa got you another, so you still have plenty more accessories that you can get for this little beauty," then with a smirk he added, "Did you really think that I'd get you something that lame," he said while he pointed to the box.

Jake sputtered indignantly, not sure what quite to say. He had just been given a real treasure and didn't know how to repay the man that had given it to him.

"Wow," was all he could say. He was in shock. Never had somebody gone to the lengths to spend that much money on him alone. It was mind-blowing to him. Jake looked up at Jack with watering eyes and decided to take a page out of Jenna's book and ran over to him and gave him a bear hug, "Wow."

"Hey no big. You just take some real nice pictures with that now. I expect Miss Margie to get a photo album _every_ year."

"Sure thing Jack, sure thing," his brain finally reconnected with his mouth, "I'll make it up to ya someday for this."

"You already did." Jake was the first kid that Jack had become friends with when he started to help out at the center. He and Jake had connected somehow, and whether or not he knew it, Jake was what helped him get over his loneliness and blues, that and Daniel's 'intervention' on Abydos. That had been his real turn around point, but when he came home after that mission, with Sara gone, he found himself sliding down the slope that he had just worked so hard to climb. During that Christmas, he had hit bottom again and it was Margie's call that brought him out of the bottle, and Jake and the other kids who kept him out of it. To Jack, he would be forever in debt of these kids. Nothing he could buy could ever repay that.

When they let go of each other, Jack moved over to where he saw Margie standing and watching and left the kids to enjoy their knew presents. He casually leaned on one edge of the kitchen doorway, where he saw Angelo busy at work, making his famous pancakes. Margie stood there in a dark green, fuzzy robe with matching slippers, warily holding on to her coffee mug because she had the suspicion that Jack had yet to have his first cup. She eyed him inquisitively.

"Did you spend the night?" she asked.

"Yeah…kinda got snowed in. It was pretty strong last night and I decided it would be safer to stay here."

"You look horrible," she said bluntly.

Jack looked down at himself and for the first time realized how disheveled he looked. His shirt and pants were rumpled from sleeping in them, his hair was most likely sticking up in all directions, and, rubbing a hand over his face, he already felt the stubble of his beard growing back in. He shrugged; some of the kids didn't look much better most of the year anyway.

He asked what time it was and got a "way too early" as an answer. He looked pointedly at the coffee she held in her hands, and Margie reflexively brought it closer to her body, trying to hide it from his reach. She quickly took a sip as if to mark it as hers. One day, she had called Jack for an emergency. Kenny had been having horrible nightmares of the day his parents died, and she was at her wits end, not knowing what to do. She had called and Jack came running. Thank god he was in town. Anyway, he ended up spending the whole night with him, and when he came down in the morning, he had stolen Margie's coffee right from out of her hands and down the whole thing in one gulp.

"_You _have to get _your own!_" she rebuked.

Suitably chastised, he went into the kitchen where he greeted Angelo and enquired when breakfast would be ready as he poured himself a cup. Upon receiving his answer of a few minutes, he rejoined Margie, who relaxed now that the man had his own caffeine fix.

"How'd you do all this?" she asked. At his confused gaze, she specified, "All this here. It must have cost you a pretty penny. Some of those…wow! That camera…"

"I had a couple friends on base that helped out," he looked around quickly, and then added in a conspiratorial whisper, "You think that I know what an eight year old girl would like?" Margie chuckled, imagining Jack helpless in the Barbie isle of Toys-R-Us. That man surrounded by all that pink…what a mental image.

Jack, of course, was silently thanking in his head Ferretti and Doc's help. They were the only two people on the base who knew about Jack and the center. They were also the two who he had known, and who had known him the longest. Jack had told them about the kids, and they both pitched in. The Doc had felt strongly about it, having just adopted Cassie herself, and had even decided to come with Jack a couple times to visit them.

"Well, give them my thanks. This Christmas was wonderful. They're all smiling, that's the greatest gift I could ever get." Jack just nodded his agreement.

The two adults chatted until a booming voice arose out of the kitchen, shortly before the man did,

"BREAKFAST! COME AND GET IT!"

Some of the kids were reluctant to leave their new toys, but once the smell wafted over to them, none of them could reach the table fast enough. Light banter and happy conversation dominated the table. Everyone talked about what they had received from Santa, commenting on had for it the rest of the year. Jake was trying to persuade the younger kids to agree to pose for a group picture the next day, while Carrie was planning on putting on a magic show once she became good enough. Once the thirteen children and three adults could eat no more, they all helped Angelo with the dishes. Margie had to take Bobby, Tony, and Little Abby upstairs to wash all the sticky syrup off their faces, the rest of the kids were fine, although most had to wash their hands.

Jack also encouraged the children to go upstairs and get dressed, since they were all in their pajamas, and he knew it wasn't long before some looked outside…which reminded him…

Jack put on his coat, gloves, and a black knit cap and walked outside to his car to see what work lay ahead for him in order for him to leave, because, though he might have wanted to, he couldn't stay at the center forever. Everything outside was so bright that he had to shield his eyes because of the snow. It must have snowed at least a foot last night, quite a considerable amount. Everything was blanketed with the white powder: the kids would love it.

He noticed that the road was cleared behind him, but the bad news was that the snowplow machine had piled up another five feet behind his truck. He grunted, thinking of the shoveling he would have to do. Maybe he could get the kids to do it.

He proceeded to check out the area for any hidden dangers that might be lurking, hidden by the snow, for when the kids would come out and play. Finding nothing amiss, he went back inside, but before he could close the door, Rick caught a glimpse of the white wonderland outside. He squealed with delight and ran to the door, but Jack stopped him.

"You're not going anywhere without your coat, boots, gloves, scarf, and a hat,"

"But, Colonel Jack," he whined.

"Na uh. No buts. Get, go on, the sooner you finish getting dressed, the sooner you can go out." Jack wasn't such a newbies at this parenting thing after all; he had had plenty of experience with Charlie trying to sneak out to play.

When everyone else came downstairs, Rick told them eagerly of what awaited them outside. Pretty soon the room was a mess with coats, gloves, and scarves everywhere on the floor all surrounding a particular kid. Each was trying to dress as quickly as they could, but some of them needed help. Jack helped the twins get ready while Margie got Abby set and Jake made sure Zach was okay. Jenna had her hands full with Trish and Rick who were both fidgeting too much for her to work efficiently.

Finally after much effort, everyone was ready. They all stormed the door where Jack had stationed himself.

"Do you guys want to go out?"

"Yes," yes they all cried.

"Are you sure? I'm positive that Mister Angelo needs some help in the kitchen…"

"Yes," they cried again, excitedly hopping from foot to foot.

"What? No, I can't believe that you want to go out there. It's cold and you'll get wet," he teased. He absolutely loved to bait them, " Are you sure you want to go out there?"

"YES!" they all screamed and he opened the door. It was like a dam breaking: all of a sudden, a wall of kids rushed outside, each going their own way to find an unsoiled area of snow that they could claim as their own. Jack and Margie hurried outside to supervise.

Trish, Alex, Becky, and Carrie each competed to see who could make the best snow angel while the Bobby and Tony immediately started a snowball fight. It was all fun and games, until a stray snowball hit Jack square in the back of the head. The twins froze, each hiding their hands behind their backs staring anxiously at Jack, unsure of how he would respond.

He slowly bent over, scooped up a handful of snow, padding it quite exaggeratedly as he straightened. Bobby gulped, sure that they were in for it now. All the others paused as well, seemingly able to feel the tension in the air. Jack stilled his arms and counted to five before he spun, quickly sighted his target, and sent a snowball directly at Tony, hitting him in the middle of his chest.

That was it. Now positive that they weren't in trouble, the twins loosened up, sending more snowballs at him, which he returned quite accurately. The entire parking lot soon became full of flying snow as an all out war broke out.

Trish, who had sided with the twins decided to go on a daring mission deep into enemy territory. She snuck past the front lines with two handfuls of snow to where Jack was squatting and boldly shoved it all down the back of his coat. She giggled as he jumped up at the sudden cold and wetness creeping down his back. He tried desperately to shake it out of the bottom of his coat, but his actions made him a sitting duck for the other side and he was soon pelted with snowball after snowball.

He finally got it all out, but he now looked like a walking yeti, his front (and back) was so white. He turned and spotted Trish holding her side in laughter and launched himself at her. She yelped and moved away in time for him to miss her and fall face first into the snow. She laughed even harder and he jumped up and began to chase her around the lot. Trish screamed for her team to help her, but they weren't that good with aiming at moving targets, so poor Trish was on her own.

Jack eventually caught up with her and, grabbing her coat, pulled her up into the air. She struggled against his grip while giggle uncontrollably.

"Now, what have we got here?" he said as he flipped her upside down.

"Colonel…_giggle…_Colonel Jack…_giggle…_put me_…giggle_…down_…giggle,_"

"Okay, but you asked for it," and he put her down, gently, head first into the snow. She yelped at the cold, but still giggled.

The rest of the morning went by quickly. They had a snow sculpture contest that showed off the creativity of the children that was a blast, and he even had the kids shovel the driveway, which they thought was barrels of fun. Before they knew it though, it was past lunchtime and they were starting to shiver. Margie rounded up all the kids, and Jack, and marched them inside with orders to hang up their coats and change out of anything that was wet. That meant that Jack had to go back outside again to his truck to retrieve and overnight bag that he kept stashed in the backseat for emergencies, since all his current clothes were soaked. Thanks be to Trish for that one.

After Jack changed into a pair of black jeans and a white sweater Angelo served everyone chicken noodle soup for a light, late lunch to hold everyone of until dinner. He had said that soup was just what was needed to warm up the bones, and they all ate heartily. It hit just the right spot. When lunch was over, Angelo disappeared back into the kitchen to prepare dinner while everyone else gathered back around the Christmas tree. Margie asked them to clean up all the discarded trash. There was wrapping paper, plastic ties, and shrink-wrap everywhere, making it look like a tornado had gone through the room. The kids were reluctant to clean up, but Margie insisted. Jenna went and retrieved a large, black garbage bag and went around the room holding it open so everyone could put their trash in it. It took about five minutes until everyone was ready and once again were gathered on the floor and couch when Margie came in rolling a stand with a small TV on it. She plugged it in and asked for the kids to get comfortable because they were going to watch a movie. She popped a tape into the VCR and pressed play as she took her seat.

The opening credits started and a cheer went up as the intro for the classic 'A Christmas Story' began to play. It was a fun film for everyone and was the favorite of the twins and Alex. Though Jack had to work hard to try not to think of Charlie asking for his toy gun that he never got. It was difficult at first, but even he got into the antics of Ralphie and his quest.

By the end of the movie, everyone was in good spirits and was once again in a playful mood and went to playing with their toys. Alex sidled up to Jack while the other kids were busy, holding her drawing pad close to her body.

"Colonel Jack?"

"Yeah Alex?"

"Um… you wanna see my drawing?" she asked timidly.

"Of course!" he answered as he patted the seat on the couch next to him. She climbed up and handed him the pad. He opened it gently, knowing that it meant a lot to her. She had shown a lot of talent when it came to art. Earlier in the year, Margie had told him of a conference she had with her teachers where they expressed their impress at her abilities. They had wanted her to further develop her skills, thinking that she might make a talented artist someday.

On the front page was a beautifully lifelike drawing of the tree with Santa bending over pulling brightly colored packages out of a red sack. The shading was done perfectly in just the right areas and the colors were solid. He had previously seen only a few of Alex's works and was exceedingly impressed at the things this little ten year old could come up with.

"Do you like it?" she asked, nervous of his opinion.

"Yeah," he sputtered, "It's amazing Alex. How do you do this?"

"I dunno. It just makes sense," she shrugged.

"It's very, _very_ good. You're amazing."

"The pencils Santa gave me are great. They're fun to use."

"Yeah? Well you just keep working on it and you'll get better," he advised.

"I'm going to be famous one day," she resolved while sticking out her chin and sitting up straight, "I'm gonna have my own studio and easels and paints and a whole big bin of Prisma pencils."

"When you're famous, you'll have to support me when I get old."

"When you get old?" she asked, "Colonel Jack, you _are _old," she motioned to his head while she jumped off the couch quickly out of his reach, mimicking Trish's earlier actions, complete with giggles.

"Wha- old? What? No way bozo, I'm not old yet!"

"Yeah you are!" Jenna interjected jokingly, overhearing the last bit of their conversation.

"It's a conspiracy!" He cried as he threw up his hands, letting them land heavily on his head.

Despite their earlier soup snack, Jack's stomach voiced its needs with a loud rumble. He looked down in surprise and eyed Jenna who was standing next to him with a raised eyebrow. She laughed and muttered something about boys while she headed to kitchen. Bobby and Tony chose that moment to sneak attack Jack and wrestle him to the ground off the couch. They had their walkie-talkies and were practicing their spy abilities. They pulled him onto the ground and climbed all over him.

"Gotcha Jack!" they cried in delight, but starting squealing as Jack went on the defensive with a tickle onslaught on the two boys. Rick, Zach, and Trish all joined in on the mush pit as well and pretty soon everyone was in one big tickling pile. Laughter echoed of the walls and smiles abounded. It was a good time for the kids and they didn't want it to end. Margie, however, was slightly worried that Jack would accidentally squish one of them, but held back her warnings when she saw how happy they all were.

Since it was winter, the sun had already gone down, leaving the room to be lit by electricity instead of the sunlight through the windows. The tree was a large source of light for the common room. It was stunning with blue, red, green and white light strands strewn about the pine needles. There were several popcorn strands and a paper chain on it still. Also, there was an ornament hanging wherever there was spare space. The whole thing was placed on a green felt carpet to catch any pine needles that fell: it was easier for cleanup. The tree was Margie's favorite. Jack had made it a tradition for everyone to go out with him to look at all the different trees. It was always pleasurable even when they kids disagreed on which tree they should get because it always worked out in the end.

Jenna came back and unfortunately had to break up the squirming mountain of bodies to tell everyone to wash up for dinner. Poor Jack was on the bottom of everything and had kids crawling over him like ants, but he had a smile on his face regardless. Margie made him go wash up as well since he had been playing outside with the children.

Once everyone was ready, they took their places at the table just like the previous night. Angelo, with a flourish, placed five turkey potpies on the table along with roasted garlic potatoes and peas and corn. Everyone was starving despite the lunch they had just had barely a couple hours earlier. Everything just smelt so good. Angelo had cleverly used the leftover to make something new. Everyone passed their plates around just like last night and keenly dug in. The potpie was delicious with a flaky crust and the sauce was mouth watering. The roasted potatoes were a hit and quickly disappeared.

Jack wished that the food in the commissary at base was this good. Of course, it was better than most places, but it wasn't Angelo good. After an hour of discussions about everything from the coolest knew song on the radio by Maroon 5 to fishing to the effect of whales on the environment in Puget Sound to Sponge Bob, much to Jack's amusement.

Then, towards the end of the meal, Jake suddenly got very quiet. He was thinking to himself about the best way to proceed and whether or not now was a good time. He was sitting at the end of the table next to Margie and across from Jack. He pulled him hands into his lap and started wringing them, a sure sign that he was nervous.

"Um," he cleared his throat, "Miss Margie," he paused until he got her attention and took advantage of the time to gather the rest of his thoughts. He gathered confidence from the talk that he had with Jack last night and looked her in the eye, straightening in his seat and speaking with all the maturity of his 16 plus years.

"Miss Margie, I'm planning on enrolling in the Air Force Academy next year."

There, the bomb was dropped, now he winced, waiting for the explosion, but it was taking a long time.

Jenna, hearing Jake's statement, hurriedly asked the kids to bring their plates in the kitchen and to help Angelo clean up. Jake pleaded with his eyes for Jack to stay, for moral support. Soon, it was only the three of them at the table.

Margie quietly put her fork down, for she was in the middle of taking a bite of apple pie that Angelo had brought out for dessert. She closed her eyes and bowed her head towards her plate. After a few suffocating moments of silence, Jake couldn't take it anymore. She had to say something! The quiet was killing him, though he knew that Margie was just processing what he had said. The anticipation was worse than anything she could say and when she picked her head up, she gazed at him calmly and he stiffened. The old adage about the calm before the storm was currently running through his mind. He also knew that some people, like Jack, were most dangerous when they were quiet.

She simply looked at his and sighed,

"I thought so." 'What?!' his mind screamed, 'That was it! Just an _I thought so_!'

"What?" he couldn't stop himself.

"I had a feeling that that was where you would end up."

"End up?! What do you mean 'end up'?" 'She couldn't have meant that the way he thought, could she?'

"Not like that Jake. You are such a fine young man," she soothed, "you're a great leader, heaven knows that. I saw the way you were when you came back from that trip Jack took you on. The flying…" she clearly remembered how he had positively glowed and seemed to have left a part of himself in the clouds. Jack hadn't noticed obviously, by the look on his face now, because he had looked the same way as Jake did.

"Jack, did you know about this?" she asked and the man simply nodded.

"He told me last night."

"What do you think?"

"I think that he would make a fine officer, and I said as much," and he had.

"I agree, however, it's a big commitment. You can be sent all over the world, to war. It's dangerous."

"I know. But, I'm ready to fight for my country, and do what I love: flying."

"I'm scared for you," Margie revealed. She was resigned to the fact that he was going to do this, but it wouldn't stop her from worrying.

"I know. I can't promise you that I'll be fine, but I can promise you that I'll do my best."

Jack was impressed at such maturity coming from the young man in front of him. He would be a great leader, but Jack would do his best, as well, to make sure that he would be fine. He knew it wasn't fair, but he would be damned if he was going to let one of his kids die before him. The thought made him shiver.

Feeling as if Jake didn't need him anymore, he got up and left the table, leaving Margie and Jake to talk privately. It was getting late and he had to be on base tomorrow to cover for Reynolds who had family he was visiting. His shift started a 0600 so that meant that Jack was going to be there around 0400. He looked in the kitchen and saw Jenna, Carrie, Anna, and Becky doing the dishes while Angelo sat back and talked to them. Wondering where the boys were and why they weren't helping, Jack asked Jenna,

"Where are the boys?"

She put a finger to her lips and motioned upstairs,

"They're playing upstairs," she winked, "I think they're plotting something.

"Ah," Jack said, putting his hands in his pockets. Abby was sitting on the counter talking to Trish while swinging her legs back and forth. Jack walked over to them and picked Little Abby up and swung her around once before putting her back down.

"Cacker Jack!" she giggled as he swatted her nose and did the same to Trish before he left the room and headed upstairs.

He made a lot of noise on the stairs and in the hall in order to give the boys advance warning. He heard them rushing around in Kenny and the twins' room, most likely trying to hide stuff before he got there. He indulged in a knowing grin before he wiped his face devoid of any emotion besides mild curiosity and knocked on the door. It was opened quickly by Kenny.

"Hey Colonel Jack, what brings you around my room?" he asked innocently.

"Just coming to say hi and see what you guys were up to."

"We're not up to anything," he said while looking over his shoulder pointedly at someone behind the door that Jack couldn't see.

"Oh yeah? Then…can I come in?"

Kenny had no choice but to let him. If he didn't he would know that they were doing something, but if he did, they ran the risk of being found out. 'Oh man,' he thought, 'it was bound to happen anyway.' He reluctantly opened the door, letting Jack in.

Inside the room, Jack saw the twins, Rick, and Zach all standing in a corner looking far too guilty. He steeled himself for the worst.

"Hi campers, watcha up to?" he asked.

They all looked at each other and answered simultaneously,

"Nothing." Yeah right!'

"Guys…" he prodded.

They looked at each other again and then looked to Kenny who sighed and nodded. This wasn't how he wanted it to happen, but it was going to happen sometime; as long as Jack got it and liked it, it didn't matter how.

Kenny was the obvious leader of this escapade and at his approval, Zach bent down behind the rest of the boys' backs to retrieve something. When he stood up, he had his hands cupped together, hiding the object from Jack's view.

Jack decided that it would probably be best if he sat down, not quite sure what it was. He sat on Kenny's bed as he began to talk,

"Jack, you have been really cool to us this year. We're really happy to know you and that you like us. You gave us a lot to remember you by-"

"We wanted to give you somethin' to 'member us by," Bobby finished.

"We worked on this for you," Zach said as he put the object in Jack's hands. When he moved his hands away, Jack saw that it was a necklace.

"I saw that you like to wear neck'aces," Zach said, referring to his dog tags, "So we made you a cool one!"

It was a beach style necklace with tan wood beads in an alternating pattern with black ones. In between the pattern were spaced out stones.

"Jake and Becky helped us make it. Jenna told us about the rocks," Rick confessed. Kenny walked over to Jack and started to point at different stones as he explained their meanings. He pointed to a very light brown crystal like stone,

"That's Labradorite, Jenna said that it strengthens your will and inner strength," then a white marbled one, "Howlite, it gets rid of stress," a beautifully smooth green gem, "Jade: it gives you wisdom," a dark red stone, "Garnet: It's protective and makes you more confident of yourself and more secure. Onyx: it keeps away bad stuff," he said as he pointed to a shiny black one. He then pointed to a quartz crystal, "this helps you heal. I like this one, I put it in myself," he boasted as he pointed to another stone, "It's called Snowflake Obsidian. It protects against nightmares." The last stone on the necklace was tiger's eye, which Kenny said was to give courage.

The necklace and the care that the boys had shown by making it for him touched Jack. It was a lot of effort, and research, just for him. A strong feeling of pride and…yes, love, welled up inside him for his children: for he did think of them as his. They were his life now, and this small act solidified it. He would always be there for them and they showed that they would do the same for him. He gingerly fingered the necklace and put it on, immediately feeling its effect that Kenny had just described to him. It was funny, he wasn't a religious man, how could be when he fought gods for a living, but he believed in the power of love that was flowing through the necklace, bringing to life the powers of the stones. He gave each kid a huge hug while he thanked them tremendously. After a few emotional minutes, he pulled back and noticed that it was their bedtime.

He wiped his eyes, which were rebelliously watery, and told the boys to go get ready for bed. He would have to be leaving soon and wanted to say goodnight to everyone before he did. He took a few moments to gather his wits before he exited the room and headed downstairs, encountering the girls on the way down,

"Go brush your teeth and get changed," he instructed to the blurs. When he rounded the corner into the common room where the dining table was, he saw Jake give Margie a large hug before leaving her side to get ready himself. As he passed him, Jack expressed his thanks for the necklace.

"I hope it brings you luck," he wished as he joined everyone else upstairs

Jack walked over to where Margie was wiping her eyes and placed his hands on her shoulders as a comforting gesture before he too pulled her in for a hug.

"You okay Margie?"

"I will be. I know that it's what he's going to do; I just hope that he doesn't end up in a body bag."

"We all will, eventually," he answered darkly.

"Yeah, but hopefully not until way after me I hope," she voiced Jack's earlier thoughts. "I think he's going to follow in your footsteps,"

"That's what scares me. I hope that he has a much easier, and safer, time."

He just held Margie close, offering her the comfort that she needed until she pushed away. I guess that we better put the kids to bed again.

"I have to _back up_? I just came from there," he whined, " My poor knees!"

Margie just chuckled and smacked him upside the head as they proceeded to climb the steps one more time.

They took turns tucking in and saying goodnight to each of the kids. Jack made sure to thank all the boys again along with Becky and Jenna for their contributions.

He said goodbye and told them that he'd see them again at New Year's. He would only be able to stop by for an hour or so because he had to work that night at the base, but any time was enough time for him to spend with the kids. He hugged and kissed everyone before he left. He stopped by Jake's room last.

"Night Jake, I've got to go now. I'll be back for a little bit New Year's Eve."

"Night Jack. Hey, Jack, you think I've got a chance to get in the academy?"

"Jake, you are exactly what the Air Force needs. If they don't let you in, then we are all doomed. I have the utmost confidence that not only will you get in, but you will be one of the best cadets there." Jake took a few moments let his words sink in before he quietly thanked him.

"Thanks Jack. You don't know how much this means to me,"

"Oh, I think I do," he also said quietly, "Night sport. See ya in a few."

He also said his goodbyes to Margie and Angelo for letting him spend two days with them. They thanked him for buying presents for the kids and making it a very Merry Christmas. He left with the promise to return, as he always did.

"Drive safe Jack!" Margie called out to him as he ascended into the truck's cab. He waved to her and then pulled out of the driveway and proceeded to drive home. He felt lonely after spending two days in a hectic environment with thirteen kids. He stopped at a red light and his fingers went on their own accord to his necklace. He didn't feel so alone anymore, for he would always have part of the kids with him now.

Jack navigated the white streets of Colorado Spring and thought to himself that it was a very merry Christmas indeed.

_The End...or is it?_


End file.
